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I knew enough not to get too near the bushes--they had nice, sharp thorns perfect for snagging my tail. But whatever was hiding there, I could smel , and the scent set my pulse to racing. I wanted to chase, to stretch my legs and feel the thril of the hunt. I needed to rip things apart, to act out my aggression.
And whatever was in the bushes, I might be able to play cat and mouse with it.
As I skirted the huckleberry, the rustling grew louder, and then out popped another . . . cat?
Puzzled, I cocked my head, staring at the creature. Not cat. But what the hel was it? Fluffy, bushy tail, cute, dark with light stripe . . . I knew I'd seen one somewhere, but I couldn't remember where. Wondering if it might be friendly, I took a hesitant step toward it, and its big, bushy tail fluttered in the wind.
The plume of fur was so pretty and tempting that I forgot my manners and pounced.
The creature swung around, turning its butt toward me.
Oh shit! Skunk!
Just as I remembered what it was, it took aim, shook its ass, and a wide spray came shooting toward me. I yowled and bounded away, but not before getting drenched by the foul-smel ing perfume. At least it managed to miss my eyes, but I didn't wait around for the skunk to get in a second shot. I hightailed it back toward the mansion.
As I reached the steps, I slowed, sneezing violently. What the hel was I supposed to do? If I ran in there as a cat, I'd stink up the joint. If I ran in as myself, it would be worse, because I'd be bigger, hence, giving off more of the odor. I paced nervously in front of the steps, wanting the nasty scent gone. Now.
Luck was with me. Vanzir was standing there, watching me. As I stared at him, eyes wide and praying he wouldn't start laughing, he slipped back through the door. A moment later, he reappeared, Iris and Bruce in tow. Iris glanced around, her nose wrinkling, and I let out a plaintive yowl.
"Oh good heavens!" Iris shoved her flute of champagne into Bruce's hand and came racing down the stairs, a look of horror on her face. She stopped just out of reach. "You poor thing. Oh dear, how are we going to get you home?"
Just then, Rozurial slipped outside. He looked at Vanzir, then Bruce, who was stil holding the champagne, and then down at Iris and me.
"That's not who I think it is, is it?" He barely muffled his laughter, and I hissed at him. "Oh, yeah, babe. You have a little BO problem, know that?"
"What should we do with her?" Bruce asked.
Iris stared at me, cocking her head, and I could see the wheels turning. "Rozurial, you take her home through the Ionyc Sea. I'l head home with Bruce in the car, and we'l get her cleaned up."
She leaned down and shook her finger at me. It was tempting, but I had learned not to swat Iris while in cat form. She wasn't above scruffing me and holding me off the floor, even though she was barely four feet tal .
"Listen to me, Delilah, and I know you can understand me, so you'd better do as I say. Don't you dare turn back into yourself until we take care of this. I guarantee it wil be far worse with al six foot one of you skunked, rather than just yourself as a little pussycat. Got it?"
I stared at her and blinked. If I disobeyed her on this one, she'd have my hide. Slowly, I let out a complacent meow.
"Good. Now, Rozurial, you take her home. And I don't want to hear any fuss about it-- just do it. Honey, wil you let Camil e know where we're going?" Iris motioned to Bruce, who hurried back inside.
"I'l come with," Vanzir said to her. "I'm not al that comfortable in a tux."
"Good. I can use your help."
Roz picked me up, and I snuggled against the incubus, rubbing my chin on his chest. I had the feeling I wasn't going to like what Iris had in store for me, and I wanted comfort. Purring loudly, I gave him my best good-kitty look, and he snorted, rubbing my ears.
"Eat it up, beauty. Eat it up. Come, you'l be safe enough, just don't try to jump out of my arms." And in the blink of an eye, we leapt into the Ionyc Sea and crossed a world to travel fifteen miles.
Roz set me down outside, warning me not to enter the house until Iris had tended to me. "I'l be back in a moment to keep an eye on you, though smel ing like you do, I doubt anybody's going to be a bother."
He vanished into the studio-cum-shed that he shared with Vanzir and my cousin Shamas. With Camil e's three men staying with us now, and Bruce shacking up with Iris part of the time, we had built ourselves quite the extended family.
I tried to sniff out if there were any enemies near, but the scent of skunk infiltrated every pore. My eyes hurt, my nose hurt, my throat hurt, and I was queasy. It felt like the mother of al hairbal s was churning in my stomach. I hunched near the porch, trying to avoid being seen by any would-be heroes of the animal world.
Roz came back after awhile, dressed in a pair of skintight jeans and a muscle shirt, and he sprawled on the ground near me, on his back, staring up at the stars, his long curly hair spreading on the ground beneath him.
"Look at the sky, fuzzbal ." He ruffled my head. "Look at al the stars whirling around . . . I've walked among them, you know." His voice dropped and took on a sinuous cadence. Even in cat form, I found it soothing and seductive.
"I've danced through the aurora borealis, skated my way through the Ionyc Lands. When I was searching for Dredge, I fol owed any and every lead, wherever the wind blew me. I journeyed from the Northlands to the Southern Wastes, from Valhal a to the gates of Hel, looking for that motherfucker. I've seen so much beauty and terror in my life that you'd think nothing would faze me . . . but the stars . . . they're stil the ultimate treasure. Pristine, luminous, and always out of reach."
